Evaluation of Using Decapsulated Artemia Cysts and Artemia Nauplii or Commercial Feed as Starter Feed for Freshwater Prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii Larvae

Abstract

The present study was carried out to evaluate the effect of decapsulated Artemia cysts as direct food for Macrobrachium rosenbergii larvae on the growth and survival rate. Macrobrachium rosenbergii larvae (48 hour after hatching) weighted about 0.03 mg were reared (50 larvae/L) in cylindro-conical rearing fiberglass tanks (10 L) under controlled conditions. The larvae were fed on Commercial diet 46% crude protein (T1), DE capsulated Artemia cysts (T2), Artemia naupli (T3) and DE capsulated cysts & Artemia naupli at constant ratio (1:1) (T4). Three replicates for each treatment. Water parameters in all tanks were recorded. After 21-days rearing period, feeding of the larvae with commercial dietresulted in a significantly (P≤0.05) lower average weight (0.18 mg), mean length gain (4.80 mm), weight gain (0.15mg), K factor (0.16) and SGR (8.53%/d) compared to the other groups. Group T2 (fed with DE capsulated Artemia cysts) resulted in good survival (87%) of larvae, which was not significantly different from T4 (fed with 1:1 ,86.4%) and T3 (fed with Artemia nauplii ,86%). These results indicated that the use of decapsulated Artemia cysts (low price) appear to be a suitable feed for exogenous feeding in M. rosenbergii larvae. However, Artemia nauplii are more expensive than some commercial feeds.